Just One More Day
by Vic'chonn
Summary: Will be taken down for revision and then reposted He lied to her, now she is dying. He wants to see for the last time, but he can't. He just wants one more day, to tell her that it was not his fault, however, nobody will let him do that.
1. Guilt

Hello!

It's a short AU story, that's all I'll say. By the end of this, I'll let you know more…

Vic

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine; you all know that.

**Just One More Day**

**Chapter 1: Guilt**

"I hate you!" She yelled at him from the top of her lungs, "I hate you! I can't believe that I loved you… I-I must have been blind!"

She run off the room, and she cried.

She cried and cried.

She went to the parking lot and turned on her car.

_Silly me, I should have listened to Megumi, why I never listen to her?_

She began driving and regretted trusting him. She regretted spending the last five years of her life loving someone like him.

But he seemed different, he wasn't that way until… until she came to their lives.

Of course, she should have been suspected, always trying to hang out wit them, appearing at every single place they were in. Always flirting with him, asking him for help, come on, who could not take out a soda from the fountain machine?!

Well, she had him right now, and although it hurt, she would let it be that way.

It was enough.

He hadn't called her for the last two weeks as he used to; he wasn't going with her anymore, and every time he kissed her, she felt that the kisses were not for her anymore.

Yes, she would let him leave, let him be with her.

"I hate him, I hate him," she said between sobs while driving, "I-I hat… I love him… Damn it!" She shouted without noticing that she was going towards a car. She pushed the brake but it wasn't fast enough.

The last thing she could remember was someone calling after her, asking if she was ok…

````````````````````````````````````````

Kenshin was surprised to say the least. He was going to tell her today, he really was, but it seemed that destiny wanted to play a little prank to him and turned things upside down.

Just when he was giving a goodbye kiss to Tomoe so she could leave before Kaoru arrived, the door had opened and revealed shocked blue eyes staring at them.

He wanted to run after her when she run out of the building after saying that she hated him. 

It was his fault, he knew. He should have told her before, when everything had begun, but he was a coward. 

Tomoe had left like half an hour ago telling him that it was ok, that Kaoru would be ok. Besides, it was time for her to know that he wasn't interested in her anymore. 

_"It is better Kenshin, now we don't have to worry about sneaking to be together. I told you to break up with her before, but no, you had to wait… it is ok, honey. She'll be fine" _

 Yeah, it was better, now he didn't have to worry about how to tell Kaoru that he had been cheating on her for the last two weeks. 

He was going to tell her, he really was…

It wasn't his fault to feel attracted towards Tomoe since he had met her. She was so mysterious, so different from shiny and cheerful Kaoru. He still loved her, but not in the same way, not was before. He was sorry that he had to hurt her, but it was for good; however, why did he feel so uncomfortable, as if a part of him had left him forever?

He didn't know, he really didn't. But at least now he could meet freely with Tomoe. 

"I'm sorry Kaoru"

`````````````````````````````````````

"One, two, three, now…" 

They were doing the best.

"No answer doctor" A woman said worriedly

"Come one child, you have to breathe, come on" He tried again

"Breathe, breathe…"

````````````````````````````````````````

It was weird. He hadn't seen Kaoru for the last couple of days. Not that he expected her to come to him after what he had done to her, but she never missed classes, at least not that long. 

Maybe he would ask Misao, she should know. However, he knew that first he had to wait for a punch on his face from her. He knew that even if Misao considered him a good friend, she would always protect Kaoru, always.

``````````````````````````````````````````

The bell rang signaling that it was time for lunch. He walked to her classroom and spotted the small woman he was looking for.

"Misao" He called her. She turned her face and looked at him with despise. Yeah, he deserved it.

"Mou, I wanted to know… er… I wanted to know if Kaoru is ok" Suddenly he felt that his shoes were pretty interesting.

"What do you care, y-you…" She couldn't speak more, she felt that she couldn't contain the tears coming from her eyes.

Misao crying? Ok, Kaoru was a very dearly friend, but he was expected an angry girl, not one who was crying as if was the end of the world.

"I'm sorry, ok? I didn't want to hurt her, I wanted to tell her before, but…"

"Oh, just shut up, Himura!" She said between sobs, "Get your face away from me, and don't even dare to talk about Kaoru ever again, you understand?"  She looked at him again with red eyes both for the tears and anger, and then she walked pass him.

Kenshin stood just there. Why was she crying? She should have hit him or something like that. This was not the usual Misao. What did Kaoru tell her? The truth, yes, but Misao's reaction was far from the one he had expected from her.

````````````````````````````````````````

"Have you heard?" Several voices whispered in the classroom

"Yeah, it was awful. The crash was terrible. They say that…" And all the voices hushed when a red haired man entered the classroom.

Kenshin felt weird. Eerybody was staring at him, some of them with pity. Why?

"Um… Himura… I'm sorry, pal" One of the boys patted his shoulder and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Mmm? That's fine, t-thanks" Kenshin said confused. Just what the hell was going on?

"I know is tough, but life is life, ne?" Another boy smiled sadly at him.

Kenshin just nodded. This was getting creepy. Just when he wanted to ask his classmates about why they felt sorry for him, the teacher entered the classroom.

Kenshin noticed that he looked at him sadly too, and then shook his head muttering something about so young to go through this.

This was unbearable. He was about to say something when the teacher cleared his throat and look directly at the class.

"Well, you all must know," he glanced at Kenshin, "I just hope this doesn't happen ever again. So young and with a bright future… I know we all will miss her, especially Mr. Himura since…"

"Miss who?" Kenshin cut the teacher off. Everybody was talking about something he should know about but he had no clue.

"You mean you don't know?" One of the girls said incredulous

"Know what?" He was getting mad

"A-about Kaoru. She had an accident… a few days ago… s-she is…"

Kenshin's eyes were wide opened at what she said next.

His heart stopped… It couldn't be.

`````````````````````````````````````````

He run through the halls trying to find Misao, to find if it was true.

He was desperate

It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

_"She had a car accident, a few days ago. The crash was terrible… They didn't show it on the news because her father didn't want that much attention; he's devastated." The girl said sadly with some tears in her eyes._

_"They say that she was almost dead when she arrived to the hospital, she had lost too much blood and…"_

_"How is she? How is she right now?!" Kenshin didn't let her continue, he just wanted to know how Kaoru was now._

_The girl looked at him and then switched her gaze to the floor_

_"Tell me!" Kenshin demanded angry and worried at the same time._

_"She-she is… she is in a comma. I heard that her chances to wake up again are very remote. Actually, the doctors told her father to better let her go, but he said that there was still hope, that he could wait a bit longer, but…" She looked at Kenshin who seemed as if he had seen a ghost, "but if she doesn't open her eyes in two months, they'll stop the machines…" The girl looked up again to find that Kenshin was not there any more. He had left the room running frantically to god knows where. Well, she couldn't blame him, everybody knew that he cared a lot for her, although there were some rumors that they had broken up._

He continued running. Where the heck was Misao?

Suddenly he found her leaving the biology class. He had to ask her, he had to know, he had the right to know.

"Misao!" He approached not caring about the students who were on his way. "Is it true? How is she?" Kenshin had his hands on her shoulders and was shaking her.

"Don't touch me and ask me nothing. I won't tell you a thing. You don't need to know, you don't deserve to know… After, after what you have done to her." There was resentment in her voice. She got rid of him basically by pushing him, hard.

"So, you know" He said with regret.

"Of course I know… You know, the accident happened because of you… It was your fault!" She yelled at him and the students who were around turned to look at them.

"Yes. Did you know that the accident happened after she had left your apartment? That she called me crying because of what you had done to her?" Her eyes were full of anger. "But you know what? To let you feel the pain, to let you know who much you have hurt her, just before the crash her last words were that she hated you… If-if anything happens, you know you're guilty" Misao glanced at him and then began walking away from him.

_She hated you; she hated me… her last words were that she hated me._

"Where is she Misao?" Kenshin asked and Misao stopped her pace. She didn't turn to face him.

"As I said before, you don't need to know, besides, there are orders that you can't get into her room. You are not allowed to see her… anymore." 

And she continued her way

Kenshin was just there, standing in the middle of the hall, too shocked to move his feet, too hurt to notice that people were just bumping on him; feeling too guilty to realize, as Misao had told him, that he wouldn't see Kaoru anymore. 

_You can't see her, you're not allowed to. There are orders, you can't be with her._

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

What do you think? I know, seems KK right? Mmm, I wouldn't be that sure, besides, he CAN'T see her anymore… Orders, he simply can't and… he is with Tomoe right now. :P

Want me to continue? Mmmm, let me think about it. *just kidding*

Now, what will happen??? *ponders* :P

Vic


	2. A Departure and a Friend

Hello there!

I know, I know, I'm cruel for leaving you with that cliff, but hey, I just couldn't help it. By the way, when I said short story, I didn't mean a one-shot, I meant a story of more or less three or four chapters. :P

On the other hand, Kenshin is "cruel" because he has to be. It wasn't his fault to be attracted to Tomoe while being to Kaoru. How everything is going to turn out? You'll see. *evil grin*

Hope you like this chappie. ^-^

Vic

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine *cries*

**Chapter 2: A departure and a friend**

He was walking to her home.

He was really depressed. How everything can change in a matter of hours, not even years, but hours.

The world seemed to hate him. _Just like she hates me now._ He sighed.

He was in front of the door now, and was hesitating about ringing the bell or not. 

He sighed again and decided to do it. He had nothing to lose.

He waited for a few seconds when a thin man opened the door. He recognized him and smiled, before letting him get inside the house.

"How are you, Kenshin?" He said motioning the red haired man to sit on the couch.

"I'm good, Enishi. How are you?" He tried to smile back.

"There, full of homework," Enishi glanced at Kenshin and knew that something was wrong with him. He better call his sister.

"Anyways, I suppose you're here to see Tomoe. I'll go for her, ok?" Kenshin just nodded, and Enishi left the room.

Kenshin sat there staring at nothing. His mind was somewhere else. It hadn't been a good day, it hadn't been, and… it was his fault.

_"I'm sorry sir, but we have orders that you can't see her." The nurse behind the desk said while checking at the computer. Yes, the name was right. Kenshin Himura, according to Kamiya Koshijirou, he couldn't see her._

_"But-but I need to see her," he was getting exasperated, "at least tell me how she is," he needed to know if she was ok._

_"I'm sorry sir, but I know nothing about patients, I'm just here checking the visitors." She replied without looking at him._

_"B-but…" He sighed. "Ok, thanks." He turned around and began walking toward the gate._

_Then, just when he was about to open the door, Misao was entering into the hospital._

_She looked at him but said nothing. She walked pass him, when she felt that a hand grabbed her right wrist._

_"Misao, please, tell them to let me see her," he pleaded._

_"I'm sorry, Kenshin. You won't. Her father said it clearly, as well as I did. You won't see her, not anymore." She got rid of him, but noticed that he began to follow her._

_"Leave, now!" She yelled at him not caring about the 'Silence' poster on the wall. "You don't have to be here, you don't need to be here. This is not your place… Leave" This time her voice was quieter. _

_"I won't. This is my place, I-I love Kaoru, I need to know how she is" His gaze was on the floor._

_"You love her? Please, you're such a hypocrite." Misao was getting angry by his response._

_"I love her, although I'm with Tomoe, I still love Kaoru. She's still my friend." He looked at her directly in the eyes._

_"Listen, you're nothing to her but a part of a sad and wasted past. You are nothing to her, Kenshin, nothing… And, and I'll be sure of it." Her words hurt, she knew, but not more than what he had done to her friend. "I used to respect you, like you, but after this… Kenshin, please, leave. Don't make me call security." _

_"I won't give up, Misao. I'll see her, whatever I have to do. Be sure of it." And he left bumping on the door with such a fury that everyone else in the room looked at the gates when they got shut._

_"Whatever you do, you won't. She's leaving tomorrow." Misao continued her way to Kaoru's room._

"Kenshin, how are you darling?" Tomoe's voice brought back to reality to a tormented Kenshin.

"Hi" His face showed worry and sadness. 

"It's her, right? I know, I heard it today" She knew what he was going through, she knew, but she couldn't feel what he was feeling; she couldn't understand him. 

"It's my fault, Tomoe… and I can't even get close to her room. They won't allow me" Kenshin clenched his fists.

"It is not. Kenshin… I don't know how to say this, but… She is part of your past now, you have to go on… we're together you know? Isn't this what you wanted?" 

"But not in this way!" Suddenly he felt very angry at her words, "She may die, Tomoe. She may die and all because of me, of my selfishness." 

"Ken…" She tried to comfort him, but what could she say? They had been hiding their relationship for almost two weeks; it was true, she didn't like how things had turned out, but at last they were together.

"I better leave… I'm not in the mood." He looked at her sadly and then went to the door.

With a soft bang, he was already out of her house.

``````````````````````````````````

"Are you sure, Mr. Kamiya?" She wasn't sure about his decision. She would miss her friend.

"I'm sure, Misao. Besides, I don't want to see her suffer, no more." He was firm.

"Ok, then I'll go to get the nurse." She looked at her friend again, and let one tear fall down her face.

``````````````````````````````````

Three days, three days since he knew about the accident, and three days not able to see her, know how she was. 

"That's it; I'll see her tonight no matter what." He was determined. Nobody would stop him, not her father, not Misao, not the doctors, nobody.

He opened the door of his car, and drove quickly in direction to the hospital.

"Wait for me… wait for me, Kaoru"

``````````````````````````````````````

He walked in and stood in front of the front desk. Good, another nurse was there; she wouldn't recognize him.

"Good night, sir. May I help you in something? She said politely.

"Good night… Mmm, I'm coming to visit my-my cousin… Kamiya Kaoru" Suddenly he felt nervous. He just hoped nobody could discover him.

"Your name sir?" She asked him while opening a file in her computer.

"S-Sagara Sanosuke" Yes, Sano was allowed to see her. Everybody but him. 

"The patient's name again, please?" She checked twice on the screen.

"K-Kamiya Kaoru?" Something was wrong.

"Mmm, I'm sorry sir. The patient is gone."

"G-gone? How so?!" He said alarmed; he was waiting for the worst.

"Well, here says that she is not here. It seems that Mr. Kamiya took her out." The nurse raised her eyes. They were blue, just like hers, but not as beautiful.

"Where?" Why him? Darn it.

"I'm sorry, sir. It doesn't say anything about where she was taken to." 

"Ok…" he sighed frustrated. "Thank you" 

And once again, he wasn't able to be with her.

"Where did they take you, Kaoru? Where?"

``````````````````````````````````````````

Kenshin was annoyed, depressed, sad, feeling guilty. Damn it! Ok, it was his fault that Kaoru was in a comma, it was his fault that she was hurt, but he needed to see her! Why everyone couldn't understand that? He still cared a lot for her.

He still loved her… still.

"Tomoe" He sat down on a bench close to the cafeteria. "I need to talk with you" He whispered immersed in his thoughts.

"Oi, Kenshin!" A loud voice called after him bringing him back to reality. "How's everything man?" 

Sano

"Bad, can't you tell?" Kenshin laughed sarcastically. 

"Yeah, you know? What you did was hell, man. I didn't know you were capable of that, but… but you're still my friend, you know?" Sano patted at his shoulders.

My friend… _Thank you, Sano._

"Thank you, Sano… I really needed that" Kenshin smiled at him; his first smile in days.

"No problem, man" Sano smiled back at him.

"Mmm, Sano… Do you know where she is?" Maybe he knew. He only hoped.

"I-I don't know, Kenshin" Sano said sadly. He wasn't lying. He didn't know either. After that night when she was taken away by her father, he didn't know anything else about her.

"Do you, do you think if you ask Misao, she will tell you?" He could try, anything. Just to see her again, to say he was sorry.

"Kenshin…" Sano's gaze dropped, "She is not here, she won't be for a year."

"What?" Just what he needed. "Where is she?"

"She went to an exchange program to Holland. She's not gonna be back till next year, Ken" Sano knew how much this was hurting him. He knew that although he was with Tomoe right now, he still cared a lot for the missy, and knowing that she was almost dead and not be able to be with her, see her, it was just destroying his friend.

"I'm sorry, man… I-I'll try to find something out" Sano could see the hurt in his eyes. Well, he could try to help him.

"Thanks, Sano… You know? You're a great friend." Kenshin looked at his friend and smile widely at him. A smile with sadness. 

"That's why I'm here for, man… Don't worry. We'll find something" He winked at his friend.

"I hope so" He closed his eyes. _Please, let me see her again. Don't let her leave, not like this._

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Woooo!!! Yay! Second chappie. One or two more and the story will be done. And… a surprise… *looking innocent*

Hope you liked it, see ya!

Vic

PS: No time to check grammar right now, gomen.


	3. Good Bye

**Chapter 3: Good Bye**

Emptiness, dark… Is this what you feel when you're going to die?

_Am I dying? _She asked but words could not come out from her mouth.

_Where am I? Why is it so dark?_ Her body was not responding, but she could still feel.

Softness; she was lying on a bed. She knew it.

_I want to open my eyes_

She couldn't

She wanted to cry. What was happening to her? What has happened to her?

Fear, confusion…

Tears trailed off her pale face, tears of solitude and sorrow. 

Tears of hope

"Oh my God!…" In only a matter of seconds, a woman dashed out of the room. 

"She was crying, she was crying…" She repeated to herself with joy while she was running to find the doctor. "It's a sign… please, Kaoru, wake up."

White, cleanliness, shut doors, silence, and a friend with hope disappearing through the hallway of the hospital. 

She reacted… She had to save her, not let her die. She wouldn't allow it, not like this.

Tears. Misao let tears drop from her eyes. Just like her friend's, they carried hope.

"Wake up soon, wake up"  

```````````````````````````````````````

"Tomoe… What are you saying? You wanted this…" His voice was broken; however, for some reason, he didn't feel that hurt. It was not like when she left.

"I-I know that, but it's just… To be honest, I wanted this but," she sighed, "after the accident, you're just not yourself. What happened to the Kenshin I knew? The one that was willing to leave anything to be with me?" But she was hiding something else inside her heart.

"I am sorry, Tomoe, I really am, but… it's my fault. I don't even know where is… Never mind" He was sorry, he hurt Tomoe too, but not as much as he had hurt her.

"It's the best Kenshin. You know? You love her more than you love me. I-I think you just liked me, that's all." She sounded calm. No anger.

"I…" He was out of words. It was true.

"And… I also wanted to say that… I know what you feel because I feel the same way" Now she hid her eyes from his gaze. "I think I just liked you for a while. I don't know. I just wanted to be with you… Now, now I am really in love…" She found the courage to look at him, "of someone else."

He understood, he wasn't hurt, not at all. 

"I understand" He looked at her almost pitifully. 

He had lost her because he wanted something new. He got lost in his selfishness. He had lost her because he didn't realize just how much she meant to him. He had lost her because he had underestimated her love, his love.

"I feel so bad because you're not with her anymore… Our mistake I suppose." She felt ashamed. 

"Things just happen… we can't control them, not at all." He smiled slightly, but his eyes showed just pain and regret.

"I assume this is good bye?" She smiled at him too.

"I think so… Be happy with that person, and… if you really love him, never let him go. Don't make the same mistake I did." He bowed as a sign of respect.

"Thank you" She bowed back. This was it; finally it was done. She felt as if at last she didn't have to carry something heavy over her anymore. "And good bye… I hope she's ok. You'll find her." 

"Thank you, too." He only hoped, "But I don't think I will." He had to move on, right? He couldn't mourn. Where she was, if she had woken up, if she was still alive.

He only hoped. He prayed the gods to let him see her again, just one more time, one more day. But the same questions came to his mind, where is she? He didn't know. 

"I have to move on. I have to try… Someday I may find you, I hope." He murmured as the sun was setting down.

``````````````````````````````````````

"Hey Kenshin, are you sure you want to leave?" he rubbed his head; sometimes he just couldn't understand his friend.

"I am sure, to move on. If I stay here, I'll continue feeling sorry for myself. I'll continue mourning for her." Sano knew. It still hurt, after all this time, it still hurt.

"There has been more than a year, Sano, and I still can remember everything as if it was yesterday. All around me in this place reminds me of her, and I don't even know where she is or if she is still unconscious." He stopped packing for a while. 

Still the same pain. 

"Besides, you don't get an scholarship to one of the better universities everyday, ne?" Yeah, that too. He had studied a lot, put so much effort to pursue his dreams. Without her, it has been only his career, only that.

"Well, that's true. Man, you're so lucky." Sano's lips turned into a wide grin. 

"Yeah… lucky." Kenshin began watching over the window. _So lucky that I lost the one that really matters to me.___

"Oi, Kenshin, you have to hurry up. To be that smart and forgetting to pack when your plane is leaving in three hours." Sano snapped his friend out of his thoughts.

Kenshin only blinked. True, the suitcase! He had to hurry up.

``````````````````````````````````````

"Have fun, Kenshin. See you soon" Sano patted his friend on his back.

"Thanks, Sano. You have been a great friend," He smiled at the crazy man he had in front of him, "and good luck with Megumi. I'm sure she pretty likes you too." 

Sano blushed crimson red.

"Ok, ok, the plane will leave" Kenshin laughed at his friend's reaction. It was for sure that he was head over heels for that girl. 

"Good bye!" Sano yelled as Kenshin was passing the security door

"Good bye!" And Kenshin disappeared through the crowd.

```````````````````````````````````````

"Wait up!" A blue eyed girl yelled from the end of the hall. 

_I'm always late_

So he waited for her.

"Aoshi… I'm sorry," she tried to regain her breath, "I slept over" There was embarrassment on her face.

"Don't worry. The guy has to be the one waiting, ne?" He teased her.

"Aoshi!" She was red, very red.

"So, how was your break?" He asked as they began walking.

"It was ok. We had lots of fun. Who could imagine that going to Hokkaido would be entertaining?" Indeed, she had had a nice time.

"I'm glad." 

"How was yours?" She glanced at him.

"It was fine. I went back to Holland to visit my mother; I missed her so much" 

She giggled. Although he seemed to be like ice, he was actually warm and gentle. That's why she loved him so much.

"Thinking about?" He asked as he noticed her sudden silence. She was never silent, but he loved that. It was just a part of her.

"Nothing… Oh yeah, we're meeting at the tennis courts at 2 pm right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Just to be sure. First day of classes and we have to begin training" She sighed.

Aoshi smiled at her annoyed face. He loved that.

"Ok, I have Math right now. Have to go… See you!" She turned left toward the Science building.

"Remember, at 2!" He yelled

"I know! I know!" He just shook his head.

``````````````````````````````````````

"Wow, I didn't know that it would be this hard." Kenshin sat on a bench. His first day and he already had tons of homework for the next day, and the next after, even for the next week! 

He sat there looking how some guys were playing tennis. His next class was in the Humanities building, but that wasn't until an hour, and since the courts were on his way, he decided to sit and watch the games.

Suddenly he spotted a Sakura tree that was in one corner. It was really beautiful. And memories came back again.

How he met her for the first time under a Sakura tree. She was reading a book and he was playing soccer nearby. The ball had gone toward her although he was sure that he kicked it in other direction. He thought it was destiny that wanted them to meet each other. 

She met him with a smile, a wonderful smile. It was not necessary to know her; she had just captured his heart. So they became friends, and then they became more than that. Five years together, sharing laughs, tears, everything. He was happy, she was too, but destiny decided that it was time to test them, to test him, and he failed.

He still missed her; he wanted to know about her. The last year had been just too painful for him, too much sorrow. 

He moved on, he continued his life, but not because he wanted to forget about her or because he didn't love her. He still did. Everybody had kept him away from her; they had taken her away so he wouldn't be able to see her anymore.

"And she hates me…" He whispered sadly. Those words. They were left in his mind and heart wounding him deeply.

"I'll never see her again…" He sighed. "I have to let it go, let her go…" There was no sign that she would go back to him, that he would see her again, talk to her. After the accident he just wanted to say that he was sorry, that it was his fault, but he couldn't, he never could. He just needed one more day, one more damn day, and when he was about to make it, they just took her away.

He took off his necklace. One golden chain with a rectangular plaque; on it, it was printed in minuscule letters 'I'll be with you, always. I love you.' That was the gift she had given him for their last anniversary. Before everything...

He looked at the sky. It was clear, bright. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"There you'll be, always… in my heart"

_When I think back on these times,_

_And the dreams we left behind,_

_I'll be glad cause I was blessed to get,_

_To have you in my life,_

_When I look back on these days,_

_I look and see your face,_

_You were right there for me._

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky,_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, _

_For all my life,_

_I'll keep a part of you with me,_

_And everywhere I am there you'll be,_

_And everywhere I am there you'll be,_

_Well you showed me how it feels,_

_To feel the sky within my reach,_

_And I always will remember all,_

_The strength you gave to me,_

_Your love made me make it through,_

_Oh I owe so much to you,_

_You were right there for me._

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky,_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, _

_For all my life,_

_I'll keep a part of you with me,_

_And everywhere I am there you'll be,_

_Cause I always saw you in my light, my strength,_

_And I wanna thank you now for all the ways,_

_You were right there for me, you were right there for me_

_Always!!!_

_In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky,_

_In my heart there'll always be a place for you, _

_For all my life,_

_I'll keep a part of you with me,_

_And everywhere I am there you'll be,_

_And everywhere I am there you'll be,_

_There You'll Be_

He had lost her; she wasn't there anymore, but she would always be there, in his heart, his mind, his soul.

Kenshin opened his eyes and glanced at the Sakura tree again…

His heart stopped.

He saw her…

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Yay! Everything going like I have planned, in that sense, the next chapter is the last one… well, if I can't finish it properly in one chappie, then there may be one more.

So, how was it? Too sappy? I am sappy, lol. Well, depressed is more like it. Too much work; writing is one of the things that can relax me.

As I said, since I'm too busy, I haven't checked the grammar or anything like that, so my apologies if there are mistakes, I'm sure there are some.

By the way, the song is 'There You'll Be' by Faith Hill… what can I say, beautiful and it fit pretty well, at least for what I wanted. :P

Ok, see you next time… and I'll remind you that there is a surprise after the end… *ponders*

Take care,

Vic ^-^


	4. Time Will Decide

Hello Minna-san!

hiding behind desk Gomen, gomen. I know I haven't updated for quite a while, but this semester was pretty harsh. Believe me – beginning speech – never take the maximum number of credits if you're just a freshman; if you think that you can handle it, think about it twice, even three times if possible. That aside, remember that the world is not only about books and calculations, sometimes one has to have some free time to discover about other things – besides school – that can be amazing and interesting. One has to find a balance, otherwise, you're just immerse in a homogenous reality. ok, carried away…

**Anyways, please, if you don't remember what's going on, read the previous chapter because this one is beginning right where the last one has ended. **

At last I have decided for an end, though I think I could have done a bit better but two endings were not for my liking, so I kinda mixed the ideas. I hope I did a fair job.

My gratitude to all of those who were there encouraging me to continue this story. It really meant a lot for me. I'm sorry for not mentioning you guys, but right now I'm writing offline so I don't have your names at hand. 

Thank you very much, and I hope to read about you in my other intend-to-be-stories. -

Arigatou again! bows

**Note:** As you know, I'm not very good in grammar but I tried my best in revising and correcting all the possible mistakes I may have done. Please, if you find more of them – ahem – pretend they are not there :P or simply, send me a message to correct them if they bother you too much.

**Warning: **Just that it is a long chapter and this time, it's a bit slower than the previous ones.

Vic

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine but creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Chapter 4: Time will decide**

He felt as if he was in a dream; it couldn't be. Maybe second chances did exist, or maybe it was a simple illusion from his mind, from his anxiousness to see her again.

There she was, standing under that tree with a beautiful smile. It seemed that she had lost weight; however, she was still gorgeous. The same shiny black hair, those huge enigmatic blue pools that she had for eyes, her rosy lips… his Kaoru.

He stood up from the bench and walked down towards the tree to talk to her. He couldn't lose this time, he wouldn't allow it. However, he stopped in mid way when he saw someone approaching her. Someone that suddenly was moving delicately the strand of hair that had fallen to her face; someone that was kissing her lovingly on her forehead as he used to do when she was in his arms.

His heart shattered at the vision and at that right moment, for the first time, he felt betrayed. He then finally understood how she felt when she saw him that day.

-------------------------------------

It had been more than a year since she had gone to school, and to begin again, it sounded very exciting. Here she was, in Tokyo. It surprised her a lot when her father told her where they were after she woke up from her comma. Well, she could understand him; Kyoto did not have any good memories for both of them. The best was to leave that place and try to begin again.

Being accepted in Tokyo University although she had lost a year of school was pretty amusing, but more amusing was the fact that actually Misao was there too. She had come back from Holland last month, and with her, came someone she hadn't seen for almost ten years, her cousin Aoshi.

She remembered when he left with his mother. Until that time, he was her best friend, an older brother she could believe and trust in. It had been so devastating when he told her that he had to leave the country. She had cried for days and days; but now, he was with her.

"It's almost two. I have to go to the courts before those two kill me for being late." She mused to herself remembering the conversation she had last night with her best friend and her cousin. Since they all had different classes, except for Aoshi and Misao that shared Karate, they agreed to meet at two at the tennis courts to have lunch.

She walked through the halls and crossed some of the gardens. It seemed to be a pretty day. It was not hot either cold; the weather was just perfect. Maybe they could have lunch outside instead of going to the cafeteria.

When she arrived she saw that neither Aoshi or Misao were there, so she waited for them standing next to a Sakura tree.

"This tree reminds me the one I was sitting under when I first met him." She whispered sadly closing her eyes. She was beginning to get lost in her thoughts when she felt a soft brush on her face.

"Sleepy?" The deep familiar voice made her open her eyes.

"No, just thinking." She looked up and smiled at him.

"Ah, my little cousin, don't think too much or your head will explode." He said while kissing her on her forehead. He used to do that when they were children and because they were older now, it didn't mean he would stop.

"Where is Misao?" She asked looking for her best friend.

"Hehe, she's in Math. I met her today in the morning," he said looking at the sky.

"Ah?" It was supposed that they were getting together now because they couldn't see each other for the rest of the day.

"After calling you last night I remembered that actually we both had an early class today, so I told her to meet me in the morning." He answered her knowing her confusion.

"Mmm, I think that Aoshi is in love with Misao," she teased him.

It was true, from the way he looked at her, the way he talked about her. Her cousin was simply in love with her best friend. It was wonderful but at the same time intriguing. Amazingly enough, it resulted that Misao had gone to the same school as Aoshi's for her internship in Holland, and it was even more surprising – for Misao – when she discovered that actually the gorgeous Japanese guy she had met was Kaoru's cousin.

After knowing and learning about each other for a year, both Aoshi and Misao felt in love. Of course, like in other cases ruled by the common factor of love, none of them knew about each other's feelings.

At the end of her internship, Misao unconsciously convinced Aoshi to come back to Japan. She only asked him if he missed his motherland and without too much effort, she had him in the same plane in direction to Tokyo.

Kaoru was happy for them. Although both didn't know about their love, she knew that soon or later they would find out about their true feelings.

"Maybe I am. I'm not sure, but I know that I care for her a lot," Aoshi looked deeply at his cousin's eyes. "You know what? I'm glad she's your friend," he smiled warmly.

"She is the best," she turned to gaze at a couple that were playing in front of them, "I'm sure she loves you too," she said looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Mmm… Kaoru, about him, you…"

"Hey guys!" A high pitched voice called from behind them.

"Hi, Misao" They said in unison.

"How was Math?" Aoshi asked with mockery in his voice. He knew how much she hated it.

"Let's see… What is my answer every single time? Oh yeah… a.l.i.v.i.n.g.h.e.l.l." She emphasized.

"Maybe you should study more." A girlish giggle was heard next to her.

"Kaoru, stop teasing me. You know that I'm just bad for numbers." Misao crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Ok, ok… I don't know you, guys, but I'm hungry. Shall we go now?" Kaoru asked pointing at her stomach.

"Yeah, let's go. But first, can we pass by Mr. Korusawa's office? Misao and I need to pick up our schedule for karate." Aoshi said remembering Misao's complaints about beginning training so soon.

"Ok, but hurry up ice man." Kaoru walked ahead of them.

She was too distracted listening to Aoshi's and Misao's curses to Mr. Kurosawa, that she didn't notice the red-haired man approaching her from one side of the field.

"Kaoru" He said her name with a tone full of emotions.

She stopped her pace at hearing that very familiar but unwanted voice. She looked at where that voice was coming from and felt that her heart was beginning to beat very fast.

----------------------------------------

He felt betrayed, but on the other hand, he had hurt her and she didn't have anything to answer him.

But it was painful too see the one he loved in the arms of someone else.

Just when he was about to leave the field with a broken heart and the defined thought that without a doubt he had lost her, he saw that Misao was there and the way that man was looking at her.

It was the same way Kenshin looked at Kaoru.

It was love

Kenshin regained his hope again and decided that this time he would fight for his Kaoru no matter what. Almost unconsciously he felt that his legs were moving him to where she was, and before he could think about what to tell her, where to begin, he was already calling her.

-------------------------------------

"Kaoru" He said again but this time staring at her surprised expression. How much he wanted to get closer and take her in his arms, to kiss her sweet lips again, to be able to tell her that he…

"What are you doing here, Himura?" Misao asked coldly moving next to Kaoru.

"I'm studying here, Misao. And it's nice to see you too" He answered without moving his eyes from the woman he had longed to see again.

"I can't say the same thing," Misao controlled the urge to punch him, "If you excuse us, we have to leave." She took one of Kaoru's arms and continued walking; however, she was stopped by one strong hand holding Kaoru's other arm.

"Please, I need to talk with you, Kaoru." His hold was unbreakable. He looked at his lost love with pleading eyes that threatened to make some tears come from her eyes.

_Don't do it. He'll hurt you more. Leave, leave._

Her stubborn mind was telling her, but deep inside her heart, she wanted to hear what he wanted to say.

"She's not free today. Please, can you let her go? We need to leave." This time it was Aoshi's turn to speak. His expression was unreadable, but Kenshin could tell that he – like Misao – was protecting Kaoru from him. It wasn't their fault to act this way; he knew he deserved it.

"Please, Kaoru." He pleaded again; he wouldn't let her go this time. No matter what her friends would do to him, he wasn't going to give in easily and watch her go away again.

"I-I…" Kaoru was without words. Her mind was blank and the only think she could think about was the hand that was holding her so firmly.

"Kaoru" He said her name again, this time, his eyes shone brightly with hope. _Koishii__, please, just listen to me._

"I… I can't." She didn't know if it was the best to do, if she was doing wrong, but she wouldn't let him hurt her again.

He let go of her and stepped back a bit. He saw that she wasn't looking at him… he knew that expression. She wasn't sure, he still had a chance.

"Kaoru… I'll be here tomorrow at noon."

"And she won't be here, thank you." And before Kenshin could say anything else, Kaoru was leaving with Misao and Aoshi.

-----------------------------------------

"I'm so strangling him!" Misao was walking back and forth as if she was hypnotized by a spell. She, Aoshi and Kaoru were now in the living room of her house. School had ended a few hours ago and it seemed that the effects of the little encounter were still present – at least for Misao.

"I'm wondering how he got here?" Both Aoshi and Misao looked at Kaoru who for the first time after the incident was speaking about it.

"He said that he's studying here too" Aoshi said while standing up holding a teapot in his hands. "I'm going for more tea."

The two women saw how he left the room, and as soon as the door was shut Misao sat next to Kaoru and held her hands.

"You're not going tomorrow, right?" Since the accident, she swore that nothing would hurt her friend again. She almost lost her that time; she wouldn't take the same risk again.

"I don't know, Misao," Kaoru sighed, "I'm confused. I thought I would never see him again and here he is, in the same university."

"Kaoru, but… you-you don't love him anymore, right?" Misao knew the answer but she needed to ask Kaoru.

It had to be done

"I," Kaoru bowed her head, "When I heard his voice and when I saw him, my heart began to beat very fast just like when I first met him. My mind was telling me to get away from him, to run and not turn back, but I was frozen. I don't know why but I wanted to stay there and hear what he was going to say."

And before she could blink she was embraced tightly by Misao.

"Kaoru, do what you think will make you happy," Misao whispered softly to her friend who now had tears in her eyes, "Just make sure that you can keep that happiness within your heart."

"Thank you" Kaoru said between sobs and just then Aoshi opened the door bringing a tray with tea and cookies.

"I'll be there for you, for anything," Misao let her friend go and smiled at her, "We'll be always there."

"I know. Thank you" And the tears were replaced with a bright smile.

----------------------------------------

It was almost noon and he was already there waiting for her. Would she come or wouldn't she? He really had no idea.

He spent the whole night pondering about what he would tell her if she came and also, about what he could do if she didn't come. At least now he knew she was in the same place and that if he tried, he would be able to find her and do whatever he needed to do to have her back.

A soft breeze cooled his troubled face and he closed his eyes to stay calm. He was nervous about what could happen today; actually, he was scared. He didn't know how much she meant to him until he lost her, and now, he had the opportunity to be with her again but what if he screwed up? What if she hated him too much to forgive him, to even accept a friendship relation he was willing to give her? But he couldn't maintain it as such for too long because, he didn't just want a friendship, he wanted her complete love, something that he stupidly had refused to cherish with all his heart.

He opened his eyes and checked for the time in his watch. It was already twelve fifteen; maybe something has stopped her for a while.

His hands were sweaty and he began to get desperate. He was a fool, she wasn't going to come. When she answered him yesterday, she said she couldn't listen to him.

"Patience, she will come… just wait" He glanced at his watch again. This wasn't helping at all, and when he was starting to think the worst a question behind him washed away all his doubts.

"What do you want to tell me?" Kaoru was standing behind him. Her mind was in turmoil, and it wasn't until a few minutes ago that she was sure she really wanted to hear what he had to say.

"You came," he turned around and looked at her lovingly. Gods, she was everything for him, "I knew you would do it."

Kaoru leaned her head on the tree's trunk and looked up, "Be fast," she said with a neutral tone.

"I want you to look at me first." Kenshin took her chin delicately with his hand and moved her head to face him.

She was surprised by his action but she wouldn't let that to affect her.

"I'm looking at you, now speak." Her voice was still neutral, though little she knew that her eyes were showing her surprise to the man in front of her.

Kenshin smirked at her stubbornness but he continued holding her face. He lightly traced her jaw with his fingertips and when he moved his face closer to hers, Kaoru moved apart and walked forward. She stopped a few steps in front of him and embraced herself as if she was cold.

"Please hurry up, I don't have much time"

"Are you cold?" Kenshin took off his jacket and placed it over her, and then he moved to her right.

"As I said yesterday, I wanted to talk with you," he turned his face to look at her, "I want to say that I'm sorry, for everything, I'm deeply sorry." He looked at her eyes and then, he switched his gaze and looked straight.

"I didn't mean to hurt you but…"

"But you did," Kaoru interrupted him. She turned her face to him and sighed, "Look, what happened is part of the past. Everything has changed, and as dad says, it's better to not look back. I…" She sighed again, "I forgive you…" Kaoru gave him back his jacket and smiled slightly.

"Don't feel guilty; I forgive you," she put a hand on one of his shoulders, "Now is time to move on for both of us." And when she was about to leave she felt two arms embracing her from behind around her waist.

"I can't move on," Kenshin rested his forehead on the back of her neck, "I can't because I need you."

Kaoru didn't know what to do. She should have expected this, but heck, she thought that he would only ask for forgiveness and then leave her. Besides, she was almost sure that he had forgotten her and that the only reason he wanted to talk with her was to lessen his guilt.

"Kenshin, don't do this…"

"I need you," his head moved to her shoulder and now he was whispering to one of her ears, "You are my everything and I was too stupid to realize that," he tightened his hold around her. "I love you, I never stopped doing so."

Her heart was beating too fast and her mind was shot with millions of thoughts. She didn't know what to do.

"But I-I don't trust you anymore," she whispered lowering her head.

Kenshin released her and clenched his fists.

"But do you love me?" He asked waiting for the worst.

"I… I…" She couldn't say that she still loved him; she was afraid, afraid that he could hurt her again.

Kenshin sensed her fear and knew that for now, he couldn't rush anything.

_My koishii… I know that after all, you're still afraid… however, this time, I'll do anything to keep you with me, to have you back, your love. You're my life and I won't give up._

He unexpectedly embraced her again – this time from the front – and used one of his hands to caress her hair. "At least, at least let me show you that you can trust in me again," he kissed the tip of her nose, which definitely was something she wasn't expecting.

She moved her head to one side and then she motioned him to release her.

"Time," she said softly, "time will decide what will happen." Then she caressed his face and kissed him on the cheek. "But for now, we can be friends and then we will see."

_I'm not sure about what will happen; I can't trust in you completely, not yet. However, I still love you and it will depend on your so called love that I might or might not accept you again, give you all of me again._

Although they weren't lovers again, although he had to teach her once more that indeed she was his life, at least she wasn't refusing him at all, and that meant a lot for him.

He could win her back, step by step, and as she just mentioned, time would decide. But he knew that the final outcome would be having her once more in his arms. In his heart, she would be his again; he had hope and he knew that his love would help him to reach his wish.

"Then you'll be the friend that has my heart in her hands," he took her hands in his, "And I'll show you, I'll make sure it stays in that way."

She smiled and shook her head, "You're being too optimistic."

He let go of her hands and moved her bangs to the side, "It's not optimism; it's hope and love."

"We'll see," she said turning around, "I have to go back now. Enjoy your day," she began walking and waved at him, "See you later."

"Kaoru," She turned around, "Want to have a coffee at five?" Kenshin felt excited, as if he was asking for a first date with her again.

"Ok, I'll meet you here then." He smiled brightly, and she smiled back.

"And Kaoru… I love you." He winked.

"See you." She giggled and continued her way, but deep in her heart, she was glad he said those words.

Maybe, maybe this time things could be better. After all, people learn from their mistakes.

"I love you too." She whispered softly and let the wind caress her face.

Kenshin watched her disappear but this time he wasn't worried about not seeing her again. He knew that she was there with him, and although there was a small gap between them, he would make it smaller day by day.

Time, time would decide it all, which for him it meant that soon or later they would be one again, forever. He only had to wait.

-Owari

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, that's the end. To be honest, I don't know how it is but I tried my best. I didn't want to write something happily ever after because honestly, it is not easy to forgive when someone you loved has hurt you so much, but on the other hand, you can't hate that person or try to hate him because you still love him with all your heart. Yeah, love is complicated.

Anyways, I'm glad I'm done with this. Thank you again for your support, and hope to read your reviews in my other stories which I'll be updating pretty soon. :P

Take care,

Vic -


End file.
